Remembering The Reconnaissance Squadrons, Crawley Observer Column, Wednesday 11th November 2026

With each passing Remembrance Sunday, the turnout at Crawley’s war memorial appears to grow. The town is to be praised for the commitment it shows in remembering those who fought for our freedom and I would like to thank St. John’s, Major Paul Furber and his team, the Royal British Legion and their volunteers, and all those who make our local act of remembrance possible each year.

A little while back I was told a story about one of the local men who served in WWII and I would like to share it with you. Flying Officer Michael Albert Wetz DFC came from Worth, now within the borders of our borough, and volunteered to serve as a pilot.

The bravery of the men who fought in the skies during the Battle of Britain is now well known, but much less well-known is the work of the reconnaissance squadrons. Who has access to better intelligence is all too often the difference between victory and defeat and these men played a vital role flying over enemy territory to supply the Allies with photographs of what was taking place on the ground.

With the technology of the day, covering the distances they needed to travel meant that weight had to be kept to a bare minimum, which meant they flew unarmed and unarmoured, deep into enemy territory. Flying Officer Wetz survived the war, but it is little surprise under such conditions that half of those in the reconnaissance units did not.

The Spitfire AA810 Project are leading the campaign to establish a monument in their memory and to raise awareness of the bravery of those who undertook this vital service during the war. They are keen to hear from anyone with any knowledge of those who served, including Flying Officer Wetz, and as part of the campaign they are working to restore a recently found reconnaissance spitfire with opportunities for schools to engage as part of their studies of WWII.

If anyone would like to contact the campaign, their details are available online and I would be very happy to connect people directly.